by Douglas Robson, USA TODAY Sports

by Douglas Robson, USA TODAY Sports

MELBOURNE, Australia - Some will inevitably want to add an asterisk to Stanislas Wawrinka's 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 upset of Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final Sunday as a fluke abetted by the Spaniard's injured back.

Don't buy it.

Wawrinka, from Switzerland, earned his first Grand Slam tournament title by knocking off three top-10 players, including No. 1 Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic, a feat no player had accomplished at a major.

What we learned after the year's first major:

Wawrinka crashes big-boys party

Despite his advancing tennis age of 28, Wawrinka never gave up in his quest to beat the best.

The new world No. 3 has the strokes: a potent serve and deadly firepower off both wings, which he used to devastating effect in bullying Nadal for much of the Melbourne final.

A hard worker, Wawrinka has the confidence to be a threat through 2014, especially on clay, where he's had his best results.

"He's got a big serve, he moves well, has good touch at the net, competes hard," 14-time major winner Pete Sampras said. "He's the real deal."

Big Four dominance shows a slight crack

No era in men's tennis has been dominated by so few.

Until Sunday, Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray had won 34 of 35 majors dating to the 2005 French Open. (The exception: Juan Martin del Potro's in the 2009 U.S. Open.)

Wawrinka showed that with the right blend of self-belief, bold shotmaking and persistence, they could be taken down.

"Before today, I always was saying that except Roger, Rafa, Novak, you always lose, especially every week," he said. "So it's not easy because tennis life, when you lose, it's tough to get through and to take a positive from a (loss), from failing from a tournament."

His win should embolden the likes of David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who have been knocking at the majors door for years.

"It's a monumental win for the second-tier guys," said three-time Australian Open winner Mats Wilander of Sweden.

Federer progresses

Coming off his worst season in a decade, 17-time major winner Federer arrived in Melbourne with a healthy back, a larger racket and a new voice in his camp, former No. 1 Stefan Edberg.

True, Nadal undressed his weaknesses in a straight-set semifinal defeat, but the 32-year-old Swiss showed signs he is far from finished.

He knocked off two quality top-10 players in No. 10 Tsonga and No. 6 Murray. For stretches, he showed a willingness to push forward and attack the net with renewed vigor and effect.

"I think this is a very good start to the season for me overall," he said after losing to Nadal. "I played some really good tennis here. I still feel my best tennis is only ahead of me right now."

Nadal chasing history

Nadal's run of back luck in Melbourne continued when his back seized up in the final.

"(It's) a tournament that I really had some troubles physically in my career and is something that is painful for me," said Nadal, who got his only Australian Open title in 2009, lost a epic five-set final to Djokovic in 2012 and was affected by injuries in 2010-11 quarterfinals defeats.

But presuming it is not serious, that is almost certainly a more favorable injury than another knee problem, which sidelined him for seven months before his return in February 2013.

Nadal, who won 10 tournaments last year after his return, including his 12th and 13th majors in the French Open and U.S. Open, still leaves the first month of the season on a positive note.

He won his opening tournament in Qatar, battled to his 19th Grand Slam final and will spend much of the next few months on his favored clay. He opened his lead at No. 1 over Djokovic from 870 points to 3,710. "I was happy the way that I arrived to that final," said Nadal, 27. "I was playing well in the right moments."

U.S. remains mired in mediocrity

For the fifth consecutive major, no U.S. man got past the third round despite a healthy 12 men in the singles draw. That's now the norm more than the exception.

The top-ranked Yank, No. 13 John Isner, retired in the first round with an ankle injury. A host of young and established players from Jack Sock to Ryan Harrison have yet to step up.

Donald Young, 24, and Sam Querrey, 26, both reached the third round and showed signs of revival after dipping last year.

But the Grand Slam drought, which dates to Andy Roddick's 2003 U.S. Open win, shows no sign of abating.

"We've got the most numbers in the draw, but I'd like to see more of them around in the third and fourth rounds and moving forward," U.S. Tennis Association player development chief Patrick McEnroe said.